


Once upon a rainy day in Ireland (Dan doesn't feel so good)

by alavillamaillahallanvaara



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Pining, again cause that's all i know, and gets some hypothermia as a treat, dan and kev are both dumbasses just in different ways, dan's not having a good time, i guess? it's mentioned very briefly, i guess? this is a mess, no beta we die like my motivation to get out of bed in the morning, one of the bois also feels nauseous quite a bit, so there's that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:42:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23639779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alavillamaillahallanvaara/pseuds/alavillamaillahallanvaara
Summary: Dan stays at Kevin's place for the weekend. Unfortunately for him, he wakes up not really feeling good. To make matters worse, there's a massive rainstorm happening outside. (Or could it be fortunately for him?)
Relationships: Daniel Condren/Kevin O'Reilly
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66
Collections: 413 Fic Exchange





	Once upon a rainy day in Ireland (Dan doesn't feel so good)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alter_E](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alter_E/gifts).

> A tiny bit late, but I got the fic done! Hope it's satisfactory. Hope you enjoy it, you big dork.
> 
> Obligatory rpf note: Don't drag this out of this corner of the internet or I'll steal your eyes.

"So, you're still coming over on Friday, right? I've been waiting for forever, you know."

"Yeah, I got my things organized, have enough footage to make videos of, and already told everyone I wouldn't be streaming on the weekend."

"Sweet. I can't wait to kick your ass so thoroughly that your grandchildren will feel it."

"Can't wait to see you either. It'll be nice, for sure. It's been too long since I saw your dumb face in person."

Daniel wakes up to darkness. His throat is parched and he feels groggy, and that doesn't help with the confusion about where he is. He squints around the room for a moment before his mind finally catches on, reminding him that he's at Kevin's. Right. Of course. Heavy rainfall is making a pattering sound on the roof and the window, and somewhere outside, a lightning flashes. A thunderstorm. Had it woken him up? Not that it really matters, he supposes. He's awake now, and really doesn't feel like going to sleep again.

Daniel gets up from bed. He needs a drink, preferably right now. As he does so, he loses his balance slightly, flailing his arms around as he falls back on the bed. He blames it on being tired, before trying again. The floor is cold under his feet. He grabs his phone from the nightstand and looks at the time, 3:12am. Great. That means that if he can't fall asleep again, he has a whole night of tossing and turning ahead of him.

The hallway is dark when he exists his temporary bedroom, and the sound of rolling thunder can be heard in the distance. Daniel creeps down the hallway as quietly as possible, noticing on the way that the door to Kevin's room is ajar. He tries to pull himself together and just walk past, but can't resist glancing in. Even despite the darkness he can see Kevin, tangled up in his blanket and limbs sticking every which way, sleeping soundly. He smiles to himself, knowing that there's no one there to see it, allows himself to be smitten and a lovesick fool for once.

He makes it to the kitchen eventually, opening a cabinet and pulling out a glass. It takes a little bit for the water coming from the tap to get colder. Still, it's surprisingly good, and the water soothes Daniel's throat. As he's drinking though, he feels like he's choking on something. He sets the glass down before bending over in a violent coughing fit. It lasts for a full minute straight before it passes, and Daniel's left leaning on the counter for support, heaving in breaths like he's been deprived of oxygen for his whole life. His throat feels scratchy and sore from the coughing and there's a dull ache in his lung. That can't be good.

It takes a while until Daniel feels good enough to start heading back to bed, but he eventually does so. Still, he can't shake this awful feeling in the pit of his stomach, the same kind you'd expect to feel in a rollercoaster right before the drop down. He tries his best to ignore it. He makes it back to his room, collapsing on the bed. His arms and legs feel weak, maybe from being tired. He tosses and turns for a while, the sound of rain and thunder in the background, but ends up falling asleep anyway. He doesn't dream that night, and his sleep is restless.

When Daniel wakes up again, it's morning. Well, not exactly morning. Looking at his phone's clock, he's informed that it is in fact almost noon. The sky outside is grey, and it's still raining heavily. If Daniel has to make a guess, it's going to rain for the entirety of the day.

He gets up from bed. His back is sore and it gives a loud pop as he stands. He must've slept in a weird position for his body to ache this much. Well, whatever, he has bigger things to worry about. He grabs himself clothes for the day and dresses quickly, decidedly ignoring the way his body aches in protest to moving. If he just stretches a bit he'll feel better, surely. But that can wait.

As he makes his way out of the bedroom, two things hit him at once. The smell of breakfast (eggs being fried?) and the sound of Kevin humming melodies to himself. Daniel smiles as he enters the kitchen, watching as Kevin cooks, his back turned to Daniel. God, Kevin has a good voice. Makes Daniel absolutely melt every time he hears it. Sometimes he imagines being curled up in bed and listening to Kevin singing him a lullaby. Maybe it's a weird thought to have, but Daniel feels he's past the point of caring by now.

"Dan! You're awake! Good, cause breakfast's almost ready." Hearing his own name makes Dan jump slightly, seeing as he wasn't exactly paying attention right then, and he turns to look at Kevin, who's now facing him. Kevin's smiling bright and wide, and despite the churning feeling in his stomach he can't help but smile back.

They're having eggs and bacon. Which is fair enough, Dan thinks to himself, and the food looks quite delicious. At least Kevin didn't burn the house down while making them. Despite this, Dan only picks at his food with his fork, managing to eat only small pieces. It's not that the food isn't good, it is, but eating seems like too big of a task right now. Well, he did eat a big meal last night right before going to bed, so he's probably still full from that. Kevin looks at him every once in a while, brows furrowed slightly, but doesn't really say anything.

"So, did you sleep well?" The question is asked conversationally, but Dan also notices a hint of concern on his face. He contemplates lying, just to ease the worry Kevin seems to have, but he's aware that he's not a good liar, and besides, so what if he didn't sleep well? Not like there's a lot to be done about that.

"No I didn't, actually. Woke up in the middle of the night. Must've been the thunderstorm."

"Well, you don't really look like you've slept well, either. Kinda look pale as well." Kevin's tone is nonchalant enough, but Dan would like to think there's concern for his well being there as well. Then again, he doesn't really know why anyone would care.

"Isn't that what I al-" The sentence gets cut out as he bends over in a coughing fit. It starts out easy enough, but the coughs get harder on his throat until he feels like he's hacking up his lungs. When it's done, he straightens up again. "-what I always look like? Sorry, I think I got something stuck in my throat." His voice comes out raspy.

"Sure, but not this pale. You okay there, though? Just drink some water, should be good for your throat."

"Yeah, will do."

"You gonna eat more? There's still plenty of food left."

"Nah, I'm full already. So, how about that mario kart championship?" Dan questions with an expression on his face that's definitely an open challenge, and Kevin's not one to turn down challenges, and so the food gets forgotten.

"You bet I'm gonna beat your ass. I'm the undisputed king of mario kart." And even if he's not feeling the best, Dan chuckles.

They've been playing for a good four hours already when Kevin gets up and goes into the kitchen. He's decided that he'll be making dinner for them instead of just ordering takeout, and while Dan's technically happy about that, he's still not really feeling hungry. His throat is killing him though, and his lips are drier than a desert, and so he decides that a glass of water would once again do him good.

He gets up, and it immediately becomes clear that this was a mistake on his part, because as he does so, his entire vision goes fuzzy and he feels like he's about to faint. That's not all though. His legs have been weak the entire day, and he's been stumbling and staggering even when he's been standing completely still. Now his legs decide to give out on him completely and he ends up falling on his face in the middle of Kevin's living room. Embarrassing.

"Fuck. Fuck. Ow ow ow ow ow. Fucking hell."

Dan lifts his head and grabs at the couch next to him, using it as leverage to get back up. If his limbs weren't sore before, now they definitely are. He rubs his arms and then does the same to his legs in an attempt to alleviate the pain. He's very glad Kevin's not in the room currently. The last thing he needs right now is Kevin laughing at him, the sound of it stupidly nice and like the sweetest of melodies in his ears.

He manages to retrieve the water without any further complications. He catches a glimpse of the dinner Kevin's making, and honestly? It looks really good. Dan's actually surprised that Kevin's at all competent with cooking. He chills on the couch for a while as Kevin continues his cooking endeavors, but soon enough the dinner's ready.

Kevin's put the plates of food down already when Dan's phone rings, and he excuses himself to take it, telling Kevin to start eating without him. It's nothing that important, just about electricity bills and what not, but it still somehow takes almost 45 minutes. While solving potential issues early on is good, Dan's also upset at how long the whole thing took. He heads back to the kitchen to see that Kevin's already eaten, and his food in turn is still there, untouched but cold by now.

Dan spots Kevin sitting on the couch with his controller sitting idly in his lap, scrolling through reddit on his phone. He glances back at his food, and decides that he's not that hungry. He can eat later. Right now he just wants to get back to mario kart and showing Kevin who the real king is.

"You didn't eat yet?" Kevin asks, as Dan sits down on the couch next to him, grabbing his own controller.

"It's cold now anyway. I'll put it in the microwave later. Sorry that the call took so long, really wasn't expecting that to be honest."

"It's okay, things like this happen every once in a while. You got it all figured out though?"

"Yeah, shouldn't be any problems anymore. Now, let's get back to the game, shall we?"

And so they do. Another hour passes with one intense mario kart match after another, Dan winning most of them. Kevin tries to cheat on multiple occasions. It's nice, and Dan doesn't quite feel like passing out yet, which is good, but he also can't shake the feeling that's curled up in his stomach tightly, making a horrid feeling in his throat from time to time, like something clawing at him from the inside. He's not sure what the feeling is, but he wants to get rid of it.

They're on the second lap of rainbow road and Dan's in first place, practically leaning into Kevin, when Kevin's phone rings. He pauses the game and leans away in order to fish his phone out of his pocket, and Dan has to resist the overwhelming urge of leaning further into Kevin, instantly missing the comforting warmth. Instead, he pulls back a bit and straightens up before sinking into the couch cushions.

When Kevin finally gets his phone out and looks at the caller id, his face seems to shift a bit. He narrows his eyes slightly and the corners of his mouth twitch slightly, which naturally makes Dan very curious. Kevin's face immediately brightens back up again though, and he turns to look at Dan, giving him a wide grin. Dan's heart flutters.

"Sorry, but I have to take this. Be back in a bit, and don't you dare cheat!" Dan wants to point out that there's no reason for him to do that, considering that he's in first place already and with quite the lead as well, but Kevin's already bouncing up from the couch and making a dash out of the living room.

A few minutes pass and Kevin's not back yet. Dan's not about to complain, he had a 45 minute phone call himself as well, but he'd be lying if he said he's not missing Kevin already. It doesn't help either that there's a sharp pain in his head, at the back of his skull and at his temples. He mulls his options over for a minute or two before deciding that really, there's no reason to suffer through a headache when painkillers exist, and so he heads over to the kitchen again, looking for them. They're not there. He checks the bathroom after that, not there either. After a while he gives up and decides that it'd be easier to just go and ask Kevin.

He makes his way over to where Kevin's still talking on the phone, hearing an awkward sounding chuckle through the door. He opens the door quietly and is about to say something when-

"Oh Dan?" Now Dan's rooted in place, curious to hear why he's the topic of this conversation. "No, I don't like him. Do you think I'm insane? Why would you even think something like that?"

Dan's felt shitty the entire day, and that's the last straw. He can decipher from the way Kevin draws in a breath that he's about to continue, but honestly Dan doesn't want to stay here and listen. He goes to leave but as he does so, he loses his balance and stumbles backwards, slamming himself into the doorframe with a cracking sound and a loud oomph.

The sound makes Kevin stop before he can carry on the conversation with whoever's on the other end of the call, turning around and noticing Dan leaning against the doorframe trying not to fall over.

"Shit, Dan, you okay? Let me explain-"

Dan turns around and heads straight for the door to outside. Whatever Kevin wants to say, he doesn't care. He just wants out.

"I- hold on Dan, this isn't fair-"

Dan's at the door now. He puts his shoes on and opens it, practically running out. He hears Kevin yell after him.

"Dan? It's raining, just come back! Dan! Daniel!"

He doesn't really know where he's going. It doesn't matter. It's dark outside and he's faced with a downpour, the rain and wind working together against him. No one's out on the streets. Daniel doesn't need to wonder why. The weather's miserable.

Daniel runs for what feels like an eternity. He doesn't feel like stopping, even if his legs are begging him to. Considering how much he's been stumbling around today, he's surprised that they're carrying him at all. Adrenaline, that's what he'll credit it to. The rain doesn't really help. It's brutally cold, and he's shaking head to toe. His teeth are clattering against each other violently enough that he's sure he'll chip at least one of them.

His head is a mess of different thoughts. Some of them are begging him to go back. Some of them regret leaving the house. He dismisses them. Some of them tell him that this is where he'll die, outside in a rainstorm out of the cold. All because he was stupid enough to not grab a coat when he left. He doesn't care, dismisses the thoughts when they come. He's soaked. He feels like he's swallowed a ton of rocks, and they weigh him down. At the same time he's aware that there's nothing actually in his stomach. Not even food.

Daniel finally stops when he comes across a park. He collapses onto a bench. His lungs feel like they're on fire. He heaves in one breath after another. His breathing wheezes. Why is the rain so cold? Couldn't it be just a bit warmer?

He sits on the bench and tries to gather his thoughts for a little while. That's when the pain hits him. It starts somewhere in the depths of his stomach. It seems to suffocate everything underneath it, leaves him gasping. It's nauseating, and he feels the taste of bile somewhere in the back of his throat. He feels the urge to scratch and claw at his throat, to do something in order to get rid of the taste. Everything fucking hurts, hurts so bad and Daniel just curls up on the bench, holding onto his stomach and squeezing his eyes shut. He hopes to god that the pain will pass quickly. Somehow, he still doubts that.

He lies there for a while as the rain continues washing over him. The pain doesn't ease. A part of him knows the cause of it, of course he knows, but it's not like it matters. He just wants to fall asleep. He's stopped shivering now. A part of his brain protests against this whole thing. Daniel knows, somewhere in the back of his mind, that if he falls asleep now there's a good chance he won't wake up again. It's too cold outside for him to have a decent chance of surviving. He's so tired, though… Maybe he'll just let go, for a bit. Maybe he should just take a nap.

Daniel considers it for a moment, and then decides that he might as well. Whatever self preservation he had has been tossed away by now. Really, there's not many coherent thoughts left. There's just the pain in his stomach that makes him want to throw up, which he wishes would just subside already, and the tiredness. He's not even upset anymore. He doesn't have the energy for that. Distantly, Daniel wonders what the time is. How long has it been since he..? Doesn't matter. It's sleep time. That reminds him of that one song Kevin likes, but he can't remember the words. He frowns to himself. Well, whatever.

When he finally manages to ignore the pain it seems to get easier to give into his own sleepiness. He's at the edge of sleep, about to drift off when he hears a sound from somewhere far away. Or at least he assumes it's coming from far away.

"Daniel? Oh jesus, Daniel!" 

Daniel racks his brain for a second before he realises it's his name that's being called out. That's enough to make his eyes snap open and all of the surrounding sounds to come back to him all at once, crashing against him like the rain. He lifts his head up weakly, trying his best to look in the direction of the sound. And god, his neck protests as he does so, even the tiniest movement causing jolts of pain to him. He manages to lift himself so that he's leaning on his elbow, careful because the bench is wet and that means it's slippery, and looks up.

"Kev? What are you doing here?" His speech is slurred, mostly because his jaw's frozen stiff, but he hopes Kevin heard him well enough anyway. Something in his brain is telling him that he should be mad at Kevin, but he's having difficulties figuring out why. Give it a few minutes, he figures.

"Jesus christ, I've been looking all over for you! Do you have any idea how worried I was?! You ran off without a single word, and I was sure you'd just died in a gutter somewhere. Which, by the looks of you right now, you don't seem too far from."

Oh. There it is. The reason why Daniel's mad at Kevin. Now he remembers, and there's a flame that flares up in his chest. It's suffocating, and he needs to let it out.

"Why the hell would you care, huh? It's not like you spoke-" he tries to yell, but his voice gives out and he breaks into a coughing fit. It just makes him feel worse. "-very highly of me on the phone. In fact, sounded to me like you'd much rather get rid of me." Daniel finishes, and there's venom laced in his words. Kevin looks hurt, oddly enough.

"First off, that's not true and you know it. There's nothing in this world that I care about more than you. And secondly, just for the sake of argument, let's say I absolutely despise you. Even in that case I wouldn't let you just run off and die in the rain. It's been three hours Dan."

That makes Dan snap out of his thoughts of jumping up and strangling Kevin on the spot. Three hours? Really? Had it really been that long? He doesn't remember. Fuck, it might've actually been. He supposes he did fall asleep then. But how long was he sleeping for? And how much longer until it would've been too late for him, even if Kevin had found him? The thought puts things into perspective.

"Now, I'd love for us to have a chat right now, but you look miserable and I want to get you out of the rain as quickly as possible. This can't be good for your lung, come on."

"Wait, you looked for me for three hours?"

"Of course I did? What did you think I would do, it's a rainstorm, you ran outside in a hoodie and you're already obviously sick."

"I am? Since when?" Dan puzzles over it, and then the whole list of symptoms he's been struggling through the entire day clicks in his head. "Oh." He's never going to hear the end of this, that much he's sure of.

"Did you genuinely not realise that? I mean, I know I'm an idiot, but wow. That's really something."

"Look, maybe I'm a dumbass. Just leave me be."

"Maybe so, but I'd like to think you're my dumbass. Now can you get up okay? We should go home." Kevin motions behind him and it's only at this point that Dan notices Kevin's car is there, headlights on and engine humming.

"Sure."

He attempts to get up on his own, but his joints and muscles protest, and so does his stomach. He'd forgotten about the pain. Now though, as he moves, it all comes back to him, and he instinctively curls back in on himself despite the pangs of pain in his arms and legs particularly.

"You good there?" Kevin's by his side in the blink of an eye, hesitantly reaching one hand out towards Dan. Dan wants to swat it away, wants to be angry, knows he has the right to. But Kevin's promised him an explanation, and the fact that he's been looking for Dan for three hours makes him soften up a bit. That, and his stomach hurts like a bitch.

"No, not really. It hurts a lot."

"Your stomach?" Kevin scrutinises him for a bit, brows furrowed. "Hey Dan, when's the last time you ate?"

Dan has to think about that one for a bit. "Uhhh, this morning? Wait no, I didn't really eat that much, I don't know if it counts. The last full meal I had was uh, last night? At 10?"

"Jesus christ Dan, I mean I know you don't usually feel like eating when you're sick, but you should really take better care of yourself."

"Yeah, sure. Wait, what's the time right now?"

"A little past 9pm."

"Oh." And oh indeed. This explains the whole feeling weak and nauseated thing, then. Thinking about it properly, yeah, that is worrying.

"But hey, you're still here, alive and safe. Let's go, we need to get you changed out of those clothes and also you need to eat something. Do you want me to pick you up and carry you?"

A part of Dan really, really wants to say no, perhaps just out of spite. But he's also really tired and doesn't feel like arguing. The sooner he gets to bed the better. And so he just nods at Kevin, getting scooped up immediately afterwards, Kevin carrying him to his car bridal style. If the circumstances were different right now, Dan would probably be a blushing mess. Now though, he just wants this entire thing to be over with.

It doesn't take long until he's buckled up on the front seat, leaning back as far as the seat can go. Dan's aware that he's soaking the seat completely, but Kevin doesn't seem to care. He just puts the heaters on. Dan hopes he won't get electrocuted, but he trusts Kevin's judgement.

"You really ran quite the distance, huh? Even with the streets empty, it's still at least a good 10 minute drive back home."

"Mhm. Hey, Kevin, mind telling me why you said those things on the call now that we're not in the rain anymore?"

Kevin seems a bit fidgety for a moment, but then he sighs, grip tightening on the steering wheel. He stares at the road determinedly.

"I.. my mom called. I've talked about you a lot lately, especially to her, since we've been in contact a fair amount. Family affairs and such, you know the thing. However, I didn't exactly realise just how much I'd actually talked about you. She brought it up on the call today."

Dan has a feeling he knows where this is going. Still, he doesn't really want to interrupt. Kevin looks like he's having enough to deal with as is, Dan figures he'll let Kevin get it off his chest.

"She asked me if I liked you, but the way she asked.. well, she didn't sound like she would've approved of me if I did. Which I very much do! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore you."

Dan's mind somehow short circuits at that. He sputters out some kind of random noise, and has to then stop and think for a second, thoughts trying to process the information he's just been given. That's not what he was thinking this explanation would include, but he's quite happy about it. Wait, come to think of it, hadn't Kevin said something similar in the park? Dan can't remember, but surely it wasn't that important.

"Wait, you do? You like me?"

Kevin chuckles lightly, sparing him a quick glance before looking back at the road again. "Of course I do Dan, I love you. I thought I was being kinda obvious and transparent, but I guess not. And before you ask, no I wouldn't have straight up said this out loud before because I'm a coward, but tonight's really put things into perspective. I almost lost you, I don't wanna experience that again. And hey, I might as well say it to you now, while I still have the time."

"So, Daniel Condren, I love you more than anything else. And I'm sorry for causing you pain."

"It's okay, really. So, what did your mom say?"

"It's not okay. But we'll talk about that later. She asked me if I had feelings for you, but her tone was very accusatory, so I panicked and told her that no, I don't even like you. Which is obviously a lie. And one that I'm sure she saw through immediately, I mean why would I be constantly talking about you if I hated your guts? Not my smartest move. Well, you heard that part, unfortunately, and now we're here." Kevin grimaces.

"Eh, I wouldn't say today was all that bad. Now I know you love me." Dan teases, smiling at Kevin.

"Yeah, well, you're sick and you could've died of hypothermia, and that would've been my fault. Glad things turned out okay though. And when it comes to my mom, I'm sure she'll be in contact soon enough, she already tried calling me twice. Might honestly just tell her to feck off though, I don't really care anymore. Her opinion is worth nothing to me now at this point. Oh, we're home. Ready to dash inside?"

"You might have to carry me, I don't think I have the strength. And Kevin?"

"Yeah, Dan? What is it?"

"Love you too, and apology accepted, regarding this whole mess."

They make their way in without any real difficulties, even if Kevin needs to carry Dan, and once inside Dan goes to change his clothes. When he's done he walks back into the kitchen, where Kevin has made him a new meal. A painkiller and a hot drink await him as well, and he downs both quickly. He takes eating slowly, but eventually manages to eat the entire plateful.

Although the unfinished game of mario kart is still there, it's well past 10pm already and Kevin insists that Dan needs to go to sleep since he's sick. This doesn't stop Dan from complaining though. At last, he goes to bed with the promise of more games and a massage the next day.

"So, you're not coming to bed with me?"

"Not tonight. I have work to do. I can join you tomorrow night though. You can have some cuddles, as a treat."

Daniel laughs at that, and god that feels good. "We both know you're as much of a slut for affection as I am."

"Sure. Just go to bed, you goofball."

Despite being sick Dan sleeps better than he has in a long time. When he wakes up in the morning he's still sick, no miracle healing has happened, and he can definitely feel the effects of his little misadventure on his body. Overall though, he's happy.

He gets out of bed and puts on some clothes, once again making his way into the kitchen. Kevin's making breakfast again, and the smell's delicious. Kevin's back is turned to Dan, but he makes out the words he's quietly humming along anyway.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey.."

Kevin turns around and sees Dan standing there, and cracks a big, enthusiastic smile. Somehow it's still very soft and gentle though. And then Kevin draws in a breath and continues, the words specifically meant for Dan.

"..you'll never know dear, how much I love you, so please don't take my sunshine away."

After that, Kevin sets down the pan he had in his hand, scooping Dan up and spinning him around as he peppers Dan's face in little kisses.

And outside the rain has stopped, making way for a clear, sunny sky, the gentle light blues stretching as far as the eye can see.

**Author's Note:**

> Even though I procrastinated writing this until the very last day this was super fun, and I hope to maybe do this again sometime in the future. Catch ya on the flipside y'all


End file.
